There is yet to be free travel into Kenya as Kenya’s President, William Ruto, made a significant announcement at an international conference, expressing the nation’s commitment to abolishing visa requirements for all African visitors by year end.
In his address, President Ruto underscored the imperative to eliminate visa restrictions within the African continent, recognizing their counterproductive implications. He stated, “It is high time we recognize that maintaining visa restrictions among African nations hampers our collective progress.”
The aspiration for visa-free travel across Africa has been a longstanding pursuit of the African Union (AU) over the past decade. While there have been regional agreements and bilateral arrangements in place, the journey towards total visa freedom has been marked by slow progress.
As of 2022, only Seychelles, The Gambia, and Benin granted entry to all African citizens without the need for a visa, in accordance with an AU-supported report. Nevertheless, the Africa Visa Openness Index, which evaluates the ease with which African countries facilitate entry for visitors from other African nations, suggests that most countries are making significant efforts to streamline entry procedures and ease restrictions for their counterparts. In the 2022 index, Kenya was ranked 31st out of 54 African states.
President Ruto’s Take
President Ruto underscored the detrimental impact of visa restrictions on business activities, emphasizing that travel impediments hamper the mobility of business professionals and entrepreneurs, ultimately resulting in collective economic losses. His commitment to a visa-free policy for all African visitors by year-end was met with enthusiastic applause from conference attendees. He stressed the significance of not confining African youth within borders, whether in Europe or Africa, and articulated, “When people cannot travel, it’s not just businesspeople and entrepreneurs who suffer; we all incur losses.”
He went on to declare, “As Kenya, by the end of this year, no African will be required to possess a visa to visit Kenya,” eliciting resounding cheers from the conference participants. He emphasized the importance of allowing African children to grow without the constraints of borders, be it in Europe or Africa.
These remarks were delivered by President Ruto during a summit aimed at conserving some of the world’s largest rainforests. The African Union (AU) introduced the African passport in 2016, with the aim of enabling unrestricted travel throughout the continent for all African citizens. However, concerns related to security, smuggling, and potential impacts on local employment markets have hindered the widespread availability of this passport.
While the elimination of all visa requirements for African visitors may present challenges, the Visa Openness Index report has proposed several alternative measures. These measures include reducing visa fees, establishing visa-on-arrival as the standard for African visitors, and implementing a secure e-visa system.
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